There isn’t enough time for …
I wish I had more time to do …
I can’t find time to …
The truth is if something is important to us we will usually find the time, it magically appears if you want something enough. Writers who cannot be silenced will wake at 4am to get in two hours of writing before work. Someone who needs to run in order to live will run in whatever time slot becomes available to them.
Sometimes we have to stop and ask ourselves why we keep “not having time” for something. It may be time to let go of a goal if your heart is not in it. It may be time to get creative in how you approach something (exercise as a family instead of trying to get to the gym alone) or reassess how much time you are aiming to spend on it (yoga twice a week rather than aiming for a daily practice with three kids under foot).
If you genuinely struggle to find enough time to do all you want to do, here are some ways to free up more time with minimal pain by either eliminating tasks, reducing time spent on them or becoming more efficient with systems:
- set up automatic bill paying (and anything else that you can automate)
- create systems for recurring tasks so they become “set and forget”
- check emails and social media at set times of the day
- cut back on screen time (also try recording shows to watch later without ads)
- decrease travel time by choosing local where possible
- group similar tasks and errands and do them in one trip / session
- use a timer (or online control) to stay on task
- combine activities like exercise and socializing (hike with friends, meet for a gym class, train for a 5km run together)
- lower your standards with house cleaning and chores if you currently spend a lot of time on them (those of us doing the minimums can ignore this)
- do your most important tasks when your energy levels are highest
- learn to delegate and be okay with it (does it matter if the laundry is folded perfectly or that your teen has taken on a task?)
- say no to things that don’t matter to you
- cook once, eat twice or explore once a month/ freezer cooking
- have a weekly planning session to get a clear picture of what is coming up, be proactive instead of reactive
- car pool where possible
- order groceries (and many other things) online and have them delivered
- close down or lock non-essential windows and browsers when working on your computer to eliminate distractions
- schedule in your time wasters instead of using them to procrastinate
- meal plan and then buy needed ingredients for the week
- stop ironing everything
- eat and sleep well so you have energy and can stay focused
What have you found to be your greatest time savers to free up time in your day or week?
Personally I find batching tasks and errands to be my best time saver and am working on extending this to checking email and social media at set times.
Find your simple,
Deb
Image credit: Time goes by so fast by flickr user Janet R3
{ 12 comments… read them below or add one }
Easiest way to gain extra time for me would be to stop breastfeeding but I’m not going to do that anytime soon. I’m currently realising I spend most of my day either feeding the baby or getting meals/snacks ready for my toddler. She brings food to me to open/cut/spread for her. She never eats what I get ger though so I’m thinking it’s a control thing. I’m actually considering preparing a lunchbox for her in the morning and teaching her to get it herself from there throughout the day and when it’s gone it’s gone. Has anyone successfully done that?i
themotherexperiment recently posted..The Case of the Empty Tomb/He’s Alive
I think that is a great idea. Either a whole lunchbox or just a couple of baskets of accessible snacks that are ready to go (ie one in the fridge and one in the pantry/cabinet). If they are pre-approved and easy to open and eat she has the control in choosing which one she wants that day…you can prep the baskets on the weekend for the week ahead.
Debra Dane recently posted..Saying no to say yes
I taught my older one to help herself from a tray on the bottom shelf of our refrigerator when she was 2-1/2-3YO. The night before or first thing in the morning I’d put some fruit, some carrot sticks, a couple containers of yogurt, that kind of thing on the tray for her to pick and choose during the day. She liked having some independence in her day, and I liked her being able to self-serve to an extent with less intervention from me.
deb recently posted..Fluoride In My City’s Water, Part Three: My Comeback
Facebook is my biggest time waster – so I could free up time by using this less!
What you say about making time for things that are truly important is very true.
But what I’m currently discovering, and am teaching myself, is that there are times in our lives where it is simply not possible to do all the things we yearn to do.
I have two kids under three and my husband works huge hours in the city. I yearn to do yoga daily and run 3-5 times a week. The reality is more like yoga twice and run twice. I’ve tried waking at 430am to do yoga and running at 9pm when hubs gets home. And when that works it’s fabulous. But there are many times it doesn’t. The kids wake early and interrupt yoga, hubs has a busy week at work and I can’t run at night, illness, other committments, etc.
And rather than feeling like a failure, or frustrated at my circumstances, I’m learning to accept that this is my life right now. And it’s one that I’ve chosen. Rather than an excuse, the fact that there is only 24 hours in the day is a reason for getting less done.
So finding more time in the day is great, and I love your suggestions of combining duties with desires (run with friends, walk to park etc). But equally important to me is levelling out my priorities and being realistic about my days.
Brooke {Slow Your Home} recently posted..5 Ways to Create a Slow Bedroom
Definitely – the “being realistic about [your] days” goes back to my example of sometimes needing to realize it is not about finding more time for daily workouts but possibly accepting that right now 2 workouts is what matches your stage of life / lifestyle.
Thanks for commenting and sharing your experience! I can relate as that was me when my kids were younger – now it is still the long hours for my husband but at least the kids are both in school. No stage lasts forever and we do have to adapt don’t we?
Debra Dane recently posted..Grateful for getting my groove back
Thanks for the ‘stop ironing’ tip. I just took it up again, after five years of not doing it, and my kids had no idea what I was doing! Now I can say ‘Deb said ‘stop’!’ Thank you!
Oh, hang on. Just saw you actually wrote ‘stop ironing EVERYTHING’. Oh. Just pretend I didn’t see that!
Simply Kate recently posted..Lists, lists, lists
so funny. you can stop completely if you want too – i don’t iron except a few items a year and we are about to finally outsource hubby’s shirts to a nice old lady found through a friend (he’s done his own ironing all these years) – but i really meant it for those people who do sheets and kids tshirts and such who could let go of a few things to free up more time
truth be known I always know what needs to be done, but when I’m feeling flat and overwhelmed I tend to sit at the computer and stare at it. surf facebook, twitter, rather than anything remotely constructive. I think for me it’s not about finding the time it’s about finding the head space.
Mandy recently posted..Review & Giveaway: The Muppets DVD
mandy – that was me 100% today – i lost 3 hours because i just could not get my head in the right place. If that is every once in a while though i go with it as well as noticing if i am tired and maybe need to eat better (the case this week). if it were every day i would have to turn off the electronics while i got something else done and then return to it later. i managed to write my grateful post and do a few blog things just so it was not a write off LOL
Debra Dane recently posted..In search of a family pet to love
My biggest challenge is energy levels so making time to eat well and regularly throughout the day is important to me staying focused and organised.
Christie-Childhood 101 recently posted..Kidspot Ford Territory Top 50: Feel the difference
I am the same Christie – it is amazing how our productivity can suffer simply related to lifestyle factors like diet and sleep. Thanks for commenting!